“It’s right here. Does he need a bottle of wine?”
“Nah, I have a couple of cases that my parents sent me so I’m giving him one,” Red said.
“Does he need dessert?” she asked. “I mean if he was cooking fish and greens, he might want to think about something light for dessert.”
“I’ll let him know,” Red said.
“When are you and Emma going to stop sneaking around?” she asked after she’d pulled him away from the open kitchen door.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he said.
“Lea’s going to Whiskey River tonight for her stepbrother’s bachelor party. There is no way Braden needs an ice bucket tonight,” Delilah pointed out. “But Emma stopped by and had me make a salad that would go well with fish and she’s not going to be home until late tonight. Do I really have to connect the dots?”
“Did Emma say anything to you?” Red asked.
“No.”
“Then there you go,” he said. Then took the ice bucket and left.
*
Emma lost herself in the fairy book that Red had given her and by the time she realized that the house had gone quiet, the workers were wrapping up for the day. She tucked the book in her bag to make sure they were all off before she locked up Red’s house and drove back into town.
She had to admit that when she’d asked Red to keep their relationship on the down low she hadn’t really thought of what that would mean for him. She’d been a bit selfish thinking of her own family and how the less time she had to spend talking about her relationship the happier she’d be. But because she had asked him to keep it a secret, she hadn’t told anyone she was seeing him and had no one to talk to about him. Her sister Amelia was in New York with Cal and Delilah was over at the Dragonfly working. She’d texted Delilah earlier to ask her to make a salad to go for her dinner date with Red. But hadn’t mentioned Red. So that would leave either Memaw, who Emma was still a little upset with for telling everyone she hadn’t waved at Red and starting this entire thing, or her mom.
Her mom sort of knew… She’d been guessing at it when Emma had scooped up the fabric books. She parked her car and walked down to her mom’s store, which was busy with the last of the day-trippers trying to shop at Yippee Ki Yay before heading back to their homes or bed-and-breakfasts. Her mom looked up from a customer and gave her a thumbs-up. It was a signal from when she was a girl and her mom wanted to know if she was okay. Emma did it back and then waved, motioning she’d text her later.
She walked down Main Street, aimlessly. Normally she’d just rush home to finish reading her book, but she couldn’t. Red was on her mind and she wanted to talk. Had she missed something? She thought he was hiding—well, he’d admitted that he wasn’t telling her everything with his attorney—but Emma wondered if she even had a right to ask about that.
Was it just because she’d decided to keep him a secret that she felt like this?
“You look like you are contemplating something heavy,” Lea Dunwoody said as she opened the door to her pet bakery, Good Boy, and came out.
“I’m not,” she said. “Sorry if my loitering was costing you customers.”
Lea laughed and glanced around. “Most people have already shopped my side of the street. You want to go grab a drink at the saloon?”
Emma glanced at her watch. She had about forty minutes until she had to get home and get changed before driving back out to Red’s for their date.
“Sure, or we could go to my place and eat brownies and have lemonade.”
“That sounds awesome except that brownies and milk go together,” Lea said. “I can only stay for about thirty minutes. I’m helping host Alex’s bachelor party tonight. Technically I’m the maid of honor but since he’s a dude I thought it would be weird to call it a bachelorette party.”
Emma laughed. “I can’t believe he finally said yes.”
“No one can. I think his mom just wants him married before he changes his mind,” Lea said. “I get it. Braden keeps saying things like how we should be married but I don’t know. I want to be sure.”
Emma hugged her friend. She got it. It was hard for Lea to trust marriage since Lea’s mom had been through so many marriages and divorces. “It’s a wonder anyone gets married anymore.”
Lea laughed at her. “Why do you say that?”
“Just that there are so many reasons not to trust it,” she said. “But I’m glad that Alex and Kevin are. Can I… I know we’re not besties or anything, but I really need to talk to someone. If I told you something would you keep it to yourself?”
“Yes,” Lea said.
“What’s up?” Lea asked five minutes later when they were sitting around her kitchen table with a pan of brownies between them.
Emma didn’t know where to begin so took a deep breath. “I’ve been sort of seeing Red for about three weeks now and I think… I can’t tell if he’s hiding something from me. I kind of made a big deal about something—”
“You’ve been seeing Red?”
“Yes,” Emma said.
“About damn time,” Lea said. “You two practically give off sparks whenever you’re together. So you’re not sure if he’s really hiding something or if it’s the sneaking around?”
“Yeah. I mean I’m the one who asked him to keep it quiet. My family is such a pain,” Emma said.
“They are sort of always around,” Lea said. “But I think it’s sweet. So you’re hiding Red from your folks?”
“Yeah,” Emma said. “I mean not really. I have no problems with them knowing I just don’t want them nibbing in my business.”
“I can understand that,” Lea said. “So what do you think he’s hiding?”
“I don’t know. But he’s been secretive about something that he’s been dealing with and it made me wonder if that’s all he’s hiding.”
“What else would he be hiding?”
“I’m not his usual kind of woman,” Emma said. Admitting what she’d secretly been fearing for so long. She was a bookish woman who was quiet and shy. Not his usual type.
Lea shook her head and then leaned in close and gestured for Emma to do the same.
“You are exactly his kind of woman, which is why you are different. If I were you, I’d stop hiding the fact that you’re dating. Then everything will come out.”
*
Red pulled into the driveway of his house and sat there for a few minutes staring up at it. He’d already made a few changes to make the house more the home that Emma was helping him realize he’d always wanted. It hadn’t been until someone had asked him if he’d wanted tile or wood flooring that he actually had an opinion on it.
Of course, this had all started because of Molly. His lawyer had flown to South Carolina to meet with the grandparents and discuss a few things in person. He had told Red he’d have some news for him soon as to whether they’d be moving forward with the court or settling on rights outside of it. There were pros to either but Red still wasn’t sure. He wanted to know his daughter. Thought she should be raised by him, even though there was a part of him that could understand why someone else might not see him as a father figure. Molly was his cub, he thought. He was going to protect her and raise her…the way he wished he’d been raised.
Lately, he’d been picturing Emma with them at this big house on the river. Picturing her and Molly reading in the library he’d added to the floor plans—last minute. Picturing himself showing them both how to fish from the dock but to be fair, Red knew Emma would read while they fished. Because he hadn’t been sent a recent picture of Molly and he only had her baby picture, in his head she looked a bit like him and a bit like her mom.
Damn.
He needed to get to work setting everything up for tonight. He wanted it to be perfect when he finally came clean with Emma about Molly and about the future. She’d surprised him more than once while they’d been dating and he suspected that was because he’d set his own expectations of who she was instead of ever really s
eeing her.
It had been easy to see her as the pretty bookworm who was smarter than anyone else he knew…except maybe Braden, but there was a lot more to her and he hated that he’d almost missed it. But maybe that was what dating was for.
He took his time hanging the lanterns in the tree near the river. He put some citronella torches around the area where they’d be dining so they weren’t bothered by mosquitos and then went back to his truck to get the table and chairs. He set the standing ice bucket next to the table and then hauled the Yeti cooler with their food into the back patio and dining area that had been finished earlier this week. The grill was all set up and the electricity was still working. He took a quick look at his watch and realized he had just enough time to shower before Emma got here.
His phone rang as he got out of the shower and he almost slipped trying to grab it. “Aldean here.”
“Aldean here,” his dad said with a smile in his voice.
“Dad. How’s it going?”
“Good. How about you?”
He hadn’t told his parents about Molly either and he didn’t want to mention that on the phone. “Good. I’m fixing to go out though. Can we talk later?”
“Yes. Your mom and I are coming to Last Stand next week. She’s finally retired and I miss home,” Dad said.
“Good. I can’t wait to see you both. I’ve been building a house on the property you gave me. It’s not done yet but it should be in about a month or so. You and Mom can stay at the cabin.”
“We’ll sort that out when we get there. She’s been looking at real estate so we might be buying a house,” Dad said.
“Are y’all moving back here for good?” Red asked. He couldn’t believe his mom would be living in Last Stand. She’d never lived there. And he’d always understood that she was one of the few female top-tier sommeliers in the world so she couldn’t live in Texas.
“We’re thinking about it,” Dad said. “I really don’t like living in the city and since she’s retiring there’s no reason for us to stay.”
Red hadn’t realized how much he missed his dad until he heard him say that. “Dad, I would be miserable there too.”
“I know, son, that’s why I never asked you to come and live here,” he said. “So you think you could use a hand around the outfitters? I’m anxious to get back out there.”
“Yes, of course. Summer’s winding down but there will be plenty to keep us busy,” Red said, realizing he wanted to talk to his dad about Molly. He had thought mentioning it over the phone wouldn’t be right but he couldn’t wait. “Dad…there’s something else I haven’t mentioned to you and since you’re moving back maybe I should.”
“What is it?”
“I have a kid. I just found out about her and I’m trying to get custody. Her name is Molly and she’s two. I haven’t been allowed to meet her yet,” Red said. “But I’m not going to stop until I get custody of her.”
“Wow, that’s a bit of news,” Dad said. “What can we do?”
“Nothing right now. I’ve got the best family attorney in this area on it. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“Thanks, son. If you need anything,” he said, “I’m here.”
“Sorry I didn’t say anything sooner,” Red added.
“Nothing to apologize for—everything happens when it’s meant to,” his dad said.
Red was still thinking about his father’s words after he’d changed for dinner and was waiting on the front porch for Emma.
Fishing takes patience!
~A Texan’s Guide to Fishing
Chapter Eleven
Emma parked her car in the front of Red’s house, took the insulated bag with the salad and dessert and went around the back. She noticed the grill was on and heating up. The oak tree under which they’d spoken earlier had been filled with lanterns. They hung from the lower branches and illuminated a table that was set for two.
She stood there for a moment and just took in the sight of it. In truth she’d read about these kinds of gestures in books and seen them in movies many times, but no man had ever done this for her. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of it to save it. Though she knew that this was something she’d never forget. She looked around for Red and saw him down at the river.
He had his hands on his hips and was looking upriver, probably watching the current or the fish, whatever it was he did. Red had the same fascination with the outdoors that she did with books. He could spend hours just being in nature. She realized she still held her phone loosely in her hand and lifted it to snap another picture. This one of the man who she knew she was falling for.
Maybe that was why she’d pushed so hard today to get him to give up his secrets. Maybe that was why this dinner under an old tree filled with lanterns meant so much to her. Maybe that was why she’d found herself awkwardly talking about him to Lea this afternoon.
She didn’t know for sure, but the truth was that her feelings for Red had been growing for a long time. She’d always been a bit afraid of actually falling in love and she knew that most of the men she dated thought her high standards for relationships came from the books she read but the truth was she knew men had feet of clay. She knew they were flawed and allowed that they weren’t perfect.
Her own father, who was the best man she knew, had lied to her and her sisters for years. A part of her expected Red to lie to her. In part because of her feelings but also because she knew that’s just how people were. Her mom had lied as well. People lied all the time, Emma had long ago realized. And she had never found a way to be at peace with it.
To her it had seemed that everyone was flawed. She knew from her own experience that she was flawed too. Most likely it came from trying to protect herself from being hurt again. So instead of being honest and allowing Red to court her and date her like a regular guy she had him sneaking around…though a part of her really enjoyed the private time they had together.
Red turned and saw her standing there and waved as he walked toward her. “Sorry. Lost track of time. I meant to be out front when you got here.”
“That’s okay. I liked seeing you communing with nature,” she said. “Should I put this on the table?”
“Yes. How do you like the setup?” he asked. “I remember when we read Because Of Winn-Dixie in school that you liked the old tree with the bottles in it.”
“I love it, Red,” she said. And it meant even more to her now that she knew he’d remembered something from so long ago. “You didn’t like the book, did you?”
“I couldn’t read it back then. But recently I ordered it and read it. Figured I should know some of the stuff you love.”
This right here was why she was so torn. He was doing stuff that just felt right in her soul. And she knew that part of Red might be doing it to woo her but there was this other part of him that was just so honest and without guile that she also had a hunch it was just who he was. If he was wooing another woman, he’d be interested in something else, not because he was fickle but because he was into her. Like he was into Emma. Impulsively she put the insulated cooler down and threw herself into his arms and hugged him.
“Thank you,” she said, into his ear. She’d never be able to ask someone for this kind of thing because it would seem silly to say out loud but bringing one of the books she loved to life was something out of a dream. She wanted it to happen but knew it never would.
Maybe she could find love without lies. Maybe with Red she had found a man who she could love and trust. She didn’t let herself dwell on it but the thought was there in the back of her mind.
“I’ve got wine and beer and whiskey and sweet tea. Want to have a drink while I cook our dinner?”
“I’d love to,” she said. “I’ll get the drinks.”
She followed him up to the outdoor kitchen that was attached to his patio with the built-in fridge and poured some wine for herself and handed him a bottle of beer. She sat down in one of the rockers that he’d purchased, watching him work.
He wore a short-sleeved golf shirt with his khaki trousers and his hair had been styled in that messy, casual way of his. He had a little bit of stubble and as she sat there watching him, she wondered how she’d ended up here. Red was the last man in town she’d ever have paired herself with and yet, he seemed perfect as he was telling her about his day and the tourist he’d had in his canoeing group earlier who had fallen into the river twice.
She listened to him talk and hoped that this night would never end. This moment with Red was as close to perfect as she’d ever experienced and she knew that if she had her way, she’d never leave.
That wasn’t realistic but as they ate their meal and twilight faded to evening and the lanterns bathed them in their magic light, Emma knew she wasn’t falling for Red. She’d fallen.
This man who she’d never expected to have more than one date with, this man who she’d asked to sneak around with her, was the man she’d given her heart to and she wasn’t sure when that had happened.
*
Red expected Emma would like the lanterns in the tree, but something had changed in her after she’d seen it. He couldn’t put his finger on it but she hadn’t asked him about the lawyer anymore and though earlier she’d been keen to discuss everything now she was just more relaxed and honestly he’d never felt this comfortable in the company of anyone else except maybe Braden. But this was different.
This was Emma.
And for as long as he could remember he’d sort of had a crush on her and while he’d been younger, he’d never thought he could see a time and place where they would work this well together. It seemed like everything in his life was coming together.
There was a lull in conversation after she told him about Lea going to Alex’s bachelor party and he thought about his parents.
“My dad called today,” Red said. He realized that he wanted to talk about his parents moving back to town now, but not when he was a kid. He couldn’t discuss it with Braden because well Braden had always had it worse than Red did when it came to parents. His father had been abusive, and his mom had died when Bray was a kid.
Red Hot Texan Page 10
